This application seeks partial funding for the International Society for Heart Research (ISHR) XXI World Congress to be held in San Diego, CA on June 30-July 4, 2012. Since its inception in 1968, the ISHR has brought together established leaders and new investigators to present their latest work and engage in meaningful scientific and social interactions. The ISHR is comprised of seven Sections ( e.g. North American, Australasian, European etc) which have regional meetings on an annual basis but forgo these yearly meetings every third year to join together for the World Congress. The last two World Congresses, held in Bologna in 2007 and Kyoto in 2010 were tremendously successful and bode well for the success of the 2013 meeting. We anticipate approximately one thousand attendees, with nearly two hundred scientists presenting their work in oral sessions and five hundred presenting posters. The scientific core of the meeting is the 40 scientific symposia, spread throughout seven morning and afternoon sessions. Translational focus of the symposia is strong and reflected in the themes : New Mechanisms of Cardioprotection and Injury, New Insights into Cardiac Dysfunction , Ion Channel Mechanisms and Targets for Arrhythmias , Signaling in Cardiac Disease and Therapy, Cardiac Regulation: Beyond the Genome, Regenerative Medicine for Heart Diseases ,and Translation from Cardiac Research to Therapies. There is also a daily lunchtime poster session, and eight named Award, Plenary and Nobel lectures. Multiple events are planned for Early Career Investigators (ECIs) including an ECI Pre-congress event, selection of 18 ECI abstracts for oral presentation, and ECI and Outreach Fellowships to encourage early career attendance and participation. Underrepresented minorities will be actively recruited, selected to volunteer at the ECI event, and supported by Outreach Fellowships to increase diversity. Receptions on the opening night and a casual banquet are planned for networking and informal scientific interactions. The venue provides a relaxing waterfront atmosphere in which to accomplish the goals of the meeting: Unifying, Invigorating and Translating Cardiovascular Research.

Public Health Relevance

Open exchange of new scientific findings and concepts is the fundamental driver for research aimed at improving human health. The International Society for Heart Research (ISHR) meets once every three years and brings together more than a thousand scientists representing all of the regional sections of the ISHR. The goal and expected outcome of the Congress is to develop international collaborations, provide forums for early investigators, encourage underrepresented minorities in science, reward excellence through awards, and accelerate translation of basic findings into treatments for heart disease.